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Tag: OSUN

  • ‘Osun is second wealthiest state in Nigeria’

    ‘Osun is second wealthiest state in Nigeria’

    Osun has been ranked the second less miserable and poverty-ridden state in 2017.

    The state was placed the second wealthiest among the 36 states of the federation, according to a report released on Monday.

    The Financial Derivatives Company, which released the report, in its presentation, titled: “How the States Performed in 2017,” by its Managing Director Bismark Rewane, said in one of the top three economic analysts in Nigeria, Osun had the lowest net Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocation but was not delinquent in the payment of salary arrears.

    The report showed that Osun is the second best in the measured “Misery Index” with a 16.37 per cent inflation rate, which also sums up with the rate of under-employment and unemployment.

    The report noted that despite the financial quagmire states experienced in the last financial year, the ingenuity of the Modulated Salary Structure by the state government yielded positive results.

    The report also outlines the core indices of a structurally balanced, growing and diverse economy, which is coming for the second time in six months from veritable and independent sources – the first from the United Nations (UN) Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index 2016 and now the FDC Misery Index 2017.

    Financial experts say the conclusion is that the state government, under Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s watch with deliberate investments in infrastructure, education, social services, human capacity development and sincere political leadership, created an economy with under-employment, unemployment and inflation well below national averages and diverse.

    The Misery Index figures also showed that aside Taraba, Ogun and Lagos states, are key players in Nigeria’s Industrial Base, but still have huge poverty index with a definite number of its citizens living below the normal living standards as set by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

     

  • Osun PDP and its war of attrition

    Osun PDP and its war of attrition

    There seems to be no end in sight to the protracted crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State. Correspondent SOJI ADENIYI writes on the implications of the division on the party as it prepares for the governorship poll.

    There is a hurdle for the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State to cross  ahead of next year’s governorship election. None of the two factions of the party is ready to sheathe its sword. Instead of ending the strife and rancour that was sustained by  the rift between the former national chairmen, Ali-Modu Sheriff, and Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the chieftains of the PDP in the state have continued to tear the party apart. They are concerned about their personal interests. Efforts of some leaders to reconcile the warring factions, led by Soji Adagunodo and Bayo Faforoji, are not yielding any positive result as the their supporters are at logger heads.

    The caretaker committee set up to resolve the crisis failed in its mission. Sarafa Isola from Ogun State was the chairman of the caretaker committee to oversee a congress to produce a new acceptable executive committee after the parallel excos have been dissolved, following the court ruling sacking Sheriff. He was attacked by irate members, who accused him of manipulating the process to produce the new exco. They alleged that he was working for a faction with sympathy for Senator Iyiola Omisore, who was nursing a governorship ambition. Omisore from the Osun East Senatorial District had run twice on the platform of the party against Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who incidentally is from the same senatorial district  with him. It took the intervention of the men of the State Security Service (SSS) to normalcy after some gun men invaded the venue of the congress.

    Apparently, there is no solution to the lingering crisis after the Isola caretaker committee’s attempt  to resolve issues, accusations and counter-accusations by members had failed.  However, Faforoji, a factional chairman said the committee had tried to be neutral. A member of the caretaker committee,  Bamidele Salam, defended  the fight at the party’s secretariat along Gbongan-Ibadan road. He said: “There was a fight and men of the State Security  Service (SSS) had to fire shots into the air to get somebody who was attacked away from the scene. Some people came to complain and there was a fight, but you know the usual security strategy to scare people away. That was what happened. The caretaker committee chairman was not attacked by gunmen. That is not true. Some four local governments had issues concerning the ward congresses and they mobilised people to the secretariat and a fight broke out.”

    Moves by leaders in and outside the state to  settle disputes among members, which portend danger to the party’s electoral victory in 2018, have been largely unsuccessful. The Adagunodo faction  rejected the arrangement by the national leadership to harmonise positions among the factions Faforoji group is loyal to Senator Omisore when the congress in many wards were inclonclusive. According to Adagunodo, the harmonisation proposal was unacceptable. He maintained that the arrangement would not reflect the wish of the majority members of the party. He insisted on free and fair congress which when attempted ended up in fiasco.

    Some party leaders had earlier sent a letter to the former National  Caretaker Chairman, Makarfi, to express their disaffection with the harmonisation agenda of the party.  In the letter, it was made clear that through due consultation with the leadership, stakeholders and members of the party across all the local government areas, it was clear that the harmonisation was not acceptable. They insisted that the due process and internal democracy must be followed, explaining  that the majority of the people that would benefit from the harmonization are those that did not obtain nomination forms during the congress.  The letter read in part: “We demand for the certified true copy of the results of the ward congress. We are not confrontational but leadership demands that we convey the position of our teeming party members in the state.”

    The crisis has escalated with recent expulsion of some leaders of the party,  including the former National Secretary of the  Prof. Wale Oladipo, and a factional chairman, Soji Adagunodo.  Also expelled were the former chairman, Ganiyu Ola-Oluwa, and the secretary of the Soji Adagunodo’s faction, Bola Ajao. The development, according to a member of the party,  who preferred  anonymity, has dashed the hope of the PDP bouncing back in Osun State. He queried the authority of the Faforoji faction to expell members at a congress held in its secretariat on Gbongan Road. He said: “It was laughable that a faction set up a disciplinary committee to investigate alleged anti-party activities of  some members with a mandate to submit its recommendations to an unrecognised executive. Faforiji, said the the committee had recommended sanctions against those affected to instill discipline in the party. What kind of discipline?” He lamented that it was sad that the PDP in Osun State was yet to get its act together and act decisively to face challenge of the forthcoming poll.

    Many people are of the opinion that the PDP has not provided a platform for the opposition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and therefore, may not be an alternative to the party. They forsee mass defection in the near future as the PDP leaders are only busy fighting among themselves to acquire power to be used for “selfish reasons.” The people said what they expected from the PDP is constructive criticism of the policies and programmes of the APC to keep the governor and his party on their toes and not the in fighting among PDP members. To them by now, credible candidates ought to have signified intention to run on the platform of the party and roll out their programmes which should be beneficial to the people and be an alernative to that of the APC.

    Omisore is believed to be at the centre of the crisis because of his governorship ambition. To some people, he deserves to have a shot again at the governorship as a major financier  of the party and a ralling point. Others are calling on him to face the reality of the time which they say, demand for a vibrant candidate. They also said  if the PDP is to go by the rotational principle, the people of Osun East where Omisore and Aregbesola hail from had come spent their time.

  • Osun workers suspend strike

    Osun workers suspend strike

    Public workers in Osun State, under the aegis of the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC), have suspended their indefinite strike.

    The workers, who started the indefinite strike last Wednesday, after Christmas celebrations, were protesting the state government’s payment of modulated salary.

    The industrial action was suspended after labour unions and the state government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the demands of the workers.

    After signing the pact, the state’s Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Jacob Adekomi said the government had approved the payment of full salary for December 2017 to workers and pensions, all from the last N6.3 billion Paris Club refund the state government got from the Federal Government.

    According to him, payment of full salary and pension will “hopefully” begin by the second quarter of this year.

    Adekomi noted that modalities for subsequent payment of salary and pension between this month and second quarter of the year would be addressed by the standing committee on apportionment, payment of salaries and critical expenses.

    The labour leader said the government had also approved the release of N1 billion for bond certificate of public servants, who retired on Contributory Pension Scheme.

    He said the Rauf Aregbesola administration would be committing N5.8 billion to payment of workers’ emoluments, representing 91 per cent of the total receipt from the third tranche of the Paris Club Refund.

    Adekomi said the government had lifted the embargo on promotions based on nominal condition, confirmation of appointments, advancement, transfers, inter-cadre conversions and yearly increments.

    The labour leader hailed Governor Rauf Aregbesola for acceding to the workers’ requests in the face of financial difficulties.

  • Osun APC hails residents for loyalty, understanding

    Osun APC hails residents for loyalty, understanding

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has praised residents, including civil servants, for “their loyalty and understanding in the difficult period of massive economic recession that Nigeria has been living through since 2014”.

    In a statement in Osogbo, the capital, by its Chairman, Gboyega Famodun, and Publicity Director, Kunle Oyatomi, the party said it was “proud of the people’s resilience and determination to forge ahead with progressive ideas, despite the difficulties that 2017 has presented”.

    The statement added: “Regardless that the state is one of the least resourced in the Nigerian federation, it has demonstrated perhaps the most innovative capabilities in effecting the changes and developments necessary for economic growth in unprecedented circumstances.

    “We have seen one of the most destructive opposition yet in Osun over the last seven years and the most evil campaign is in the making to lay to waste all that the Rauf Aregbesola-led APC government has done since 2010.

    “But you, the people of Osun State, have seen it all: you have experienced the difference between light and darkness, evil and good, and you are in the best position to make a choice.

    “In 2014, amid a vicious Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign, which drew blood and tears from the people, Osun stood firm behind the good, and they threw evil into the garbage heap.

    “Yet, for the second time in four years, the good people of Osun will again be required to decide whether they will reject the evil as they did in 2014. That momentous year starts this January.

    “In 2003, Osun made a terrible mistake of giving the PDP a chance. It was such horrible experience that in 2007, they had to vote that party out of office.  Their choice was violated until 2010, when justice was served.

    “However, evil continued to fight to steal the soul of Osun State; despite all the then Federal might and force of violence, the people of Osun stood their grounds and the PDP was again rejected.

    “This year, they will be pitching up a battle royale in the unlikely event of attempting to capture Osun and avenge 2007 and 2014. And like wounded lions, they will ravage the state by discontinuing every policy of the APC (God forbid) that had brought joy to the people of Osun.”

  • NGO hails Aregbesola, Osun workers

    NGO hails Aregbesola, Osun workers

    A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Democracy and Good Governance Forum (DGGD), has hailed Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the workers’ unions for the prompt resolution of the strike the workers started last Wednesday.

    In a statement yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, by its Chairman/Convener, Tunde Oladunjoye, DGGD hailed Osun labour leaders for their “maturity and understanding of the realities on the ground regarding the drop in Federal allocation to the state, occasioned by economy recession”.

    The statement said: “The resolve of the workers to cooperate with Governor Aregbesola is a practical demonstration of genuine partnership and support for the governor’s unprecedented infrastructural and overall development of the state. The workers will occupy a golden corner when the history of the success of the current administration will be written by posterity…”

  • Osun, Enugu, Borno, Bauchi governors present budgets

    Osun, Enugu, Borno, Bauchi governors present budgets

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola yesterday presented a N173,980,083,007 budget for 2018 to the House of Assembly.

    The budget is N27 billion larger than that of 2017, which stood at N146.6 billion.

    The “Budget of Enduring Legacy”, Aregbesola said, is anchored on his administration’s commitment to make living conducive for the people.

    According to him, the budget will be financed from allocation in the Federation Account N27 billion (15.56 per cent); Value Added Tax N8.8 billion (5.10 per cent).

    He said: “Others are excess crude account N77.7 billion (0.04 per cent); other revenue from FAAC ý(N5,052.6 billion – 2.90 per cent); personal and corporate taxes (ýN25.1 billion -14.45 per cent) and N9.7 billion (5.58 per cent), among others.

    ”Our ultimate goal for the 2018 udget is to ensure a continuous improvement in the welfare and standard of living of our people.

    “This will be achieved by consolidating our previous achievements, and doing everything possible to recover the state’s lost glory”

    The Speaker, Najeem Salam, hailed Aregbesola for delivering good governance and his faithfulness to his campaign promises.

    He promised that the budget will get swift attention.

     

    ENUGU

    enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has presented a N98.5 billion budget to the House of Assembly.

    He noted that it is his third budget presentation aimed at sustaining economic growth.

    The “Budget of Sustainable Economic Growth” has a capital expenditure of N37.84 billion and recurrent expenditure of N60.776 billion.

    The Ministry of Works got the highest allocation, followed by Education, with N6.238 billion.

    Others are Health (N3.7 billion); Rural Development (N2 billion); Housing (N1.18 billion); Water Resources (N782 million); Agriculture (N707 million) and Commerce and Industry (N250 million).

    On expected receipts, Ugwuanyi said the government would get N43 billion from statutory allocation and N2.5 billion from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    The governor said the budget was articulated in line with the state’s mid-term expenditure frame work, whose basis was formed by the success of the 2017 budget.

    “It’s a multi-year prospective budget and our determination is to surpass the past achievements,” Ugwuanyi promised.

    The Speaker, Edward Uboshi, promised that the budget will get accelerated passage.

     

    BORNO

    borno State Governor Kashim Shettima yesterday presented a budget of N170 billion for 2018 to the House of Assembly.

    The “Budget of Resettlement and Empowerment”, Shettima said, would be financed from expected Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of N116, 075,548,000.00; allocations from the  Federation Account of N115, 734,194,000.00 and Capital Receipts of N36,469,772,000.00.

    The budget has a recurrent expenditure of N61, 871, 934, 000.00 and capital expenditure of N108, 408, 580,000.00.

    The 2018 budget is N13.5 million, representing 7.38 per cent, lesser than the 2017 budget.

    Education got the highest share of N27 billion, followed by the Ministry of Works and Transport, which got N22 billion.

    Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development got the lowest allocation of N1.8 billion.

    The Speaker, Abdulkareem Lawan, promised that the House will ensure the quick passage of the bill to enable the government carry out its responsibilities.

     

    Bauchi

    Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abubakar has presented a budget of N167.9 billion for the 2018 fiscal year.

    The “Budget of Consideration”, Abubakar said, will prioritise Agriculture, Education, Health, Water Supply, Roads, Women and Youth Employment.

    The estimate has a recurrent expenditure of N68.7 billion and capital expenditure of N99.8 billion.

    The revenue expenditure is N114,600,617,381; the government projects an internal revenue generation of N13.11 billion, and statutory allocation of N101,474,233,151.

    The Speaker, Kawuwa Shehu Damina, promised that the budget will be given accelerated treatment.

    He, however, vowed that “the budget will undergo the deserved scrutiny as the House of Assembly could not deviate from its constitutional responsibility”.

    He urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to give maximum support to the House Committees during the defence and oversight functions.

    The House of Assembly proceeded on recess yesterday, to resume plenary on February 5, after the budget was referred to relevant committees to study.

  • Osun labour leaders enforce total strike

    The Joint Labour Unions in Osun on Wednesday blocked the entrance to the State Secretariat in Abere, Osogbo, preventing workers from going into their offices, to enforce the indefinite strike earlier announced on Friday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the union leaders and some of their members arrived at the secretariat as early as 6 a.m. to ensure that no worker resumed work.

    Speaking to newsmen at the gate of the secretariat, the Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Osun, Mr Jacob Adekomi, said the call for a strike was beyond payment of full salaries alone.

    Adekomi said, “workers on Levels one to seven had not been promoted since 2012. Those promoted temporarily had not been confirmed and the civil service rules say after two years of appointment, you have to be confirmed.

    “Conversion of appointment and promotion advancement had not been given to the workers and these among others are the things we are fighting for,” he said.

    He said the workers were told that promotion was a privilege and not a right, and that they would use the strike to fight for their right which the government had tagged a privilege.

    “Let our people be promoted, confirmed, given advancement and what they need and let pensioners be paid and full salaries paid to workers, these are our demands from the state government,” Adekomi said.

    Also, the  Osun Trade Union Congress Chairman, Mr Adekola Adebowale, said at the last meeting held with the Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, he told them their demands were privileges and not a right.

    He said the unions and workers would now be using the strike to demand for their right which the governor referred to as a privilege.

    He said the unions had taken measures to ensure that their action was not hijacked by anybody or group outside the civil service and that the committee on security was taking care of that.

    He said the union leaders were all over the state, making sure no worker resumed and that all the health centres, courts, local government secretariats and other institutions were all being shut down by the union.

    Adekomi, while addressing some members, said he had been called for a meeting by the state government, adding that he would update his members on its outcome.

    He thanked the members for their understanding, and said the struggle would continue tomorrow as payment of salaries and promotion of workers were paramount demands of their struggle.

    He instructed workers on levels one to seven not to resume work as directed by the state government, saying until otherwise directed by the labour unions, they should stay away from work.

    He directed the workers to be orderly, not to destroy government property, beat or attack anybody as the struggle continued.

    NAN reports that security agents, comprising the Police, DSS and Civil Defence personnel were seen  around to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order.

  • Osun records 121 fire outbreaks in 11 months

    Osun records 121 fire outbreaks in 11 months

    The Osun Fire Service yesterday said it recorded 121 fire outbreaks in the state between January and November.

    Mr Adekunle Ibrahim, the Staff Officer of the Service, said this in Osogbo while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on fire outbreak, prevention and control.

    Ibrahim said the figure was, however, lower than the figure recorded in the same period in 2016 involving 152 cases.

    He attributed the drop to the intensive, continuous campaign and sensitisation by the service and the state government Special Fire Safety Committee.

    He said the service was doing its best to reduce and bring fire disasters to the barest minimum.

    He attributed the fires recorded to human errors, carelessness and flammable objects (most especially electrical equipment).

    He advised people to be very careful with electrical appliances and always disconnect them from power source when they were not in use.

    “The only language fire understands is prevention. People should switch off electrical gadgets in rooms not occupied, remove cut-outs from main power supply, so that if there is power surge, it will not affect the building.”

    NAN, however, observed that the highest record of fire outbreaks was between January and March, with 78 outbreaks attributed to the period as the core dry season.

    “If we have 20 fire cases before, we may have 40 cases this period because of bush burning by hunters or farmers burning bushes on their farmlands.

    “Predominantly, the fire outbreaks we have during the dry season are from bush burning,” he said

     

    He, therefore, warned residents to be extra careful during the dry season as the period was prone to high fire disaster, saying fires usually rage out of control during the period.

    He advised farmers setting bushes on their farmlands on fire and those hunting for animals to desist from such, to prevent fire disaster.

    He advised residents, as a preventive measure, to clear bushes around their houses, to avoid fire.

    He called on residents to have fire extinguishers in their homes as the first line of putting out fires when the need arose.

    He warned motorists too, to be careful and avoid putting petrol in their vehicles because of the hot weather.

  • Osun Assembly: learn from Jesus

    Osun Assembly: learn from Jesus

    The Osun State House of Assembly has congratulated Christians on the celebration of Christmas.

    The Assembly urged the people to learn from the life of Jesus Christ.

    It urged Christians and Nigerians to celebrate Christmas with a high sense of optimism and faith in the redemption brought by the birth of Jesus Christ.

    The Assembly said the Yuletide offers an opportunity for the nation to seek peace, harmony and show love.

    In a statement by the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, the Assembly said the improvement in the economy of Osun State and Nigeria offers hope.

    The Assembly described Christmas as a season of joy, redemption and one that rekindles hope in the present and inspires possibilities in the future.

    It said the season should strengthen the resolve of Nigerians to seek the face of God and follow the path of righteousness.

    Hailing the government for working diligently to improve the life of the people, the Assembly called for sacrifice, prayers and practical demonstration of love among the people.

    It added that for the government to succeed at revitalising the economy, it required the sacrifice of all.

    The statement added: “The recent efforts by the Federal and state governments, as well as the recent evidence of economic development, especially in Osun State, show that there is prospect of overcoming our challenges as a nation and as a state.

    “While the government must be commended for its pro-activeness to address the current economic challenges, we all need to support the government with prayers and commitment to make sacrifice in line with the teaching of this season.”

    The Assembly advised residents to celebrate with caution and be security-conscious during the festive period.

  • Osun 2018: Quest for Aregbesola’s successor

    Osun 2018: Quest for Aregbesola’s successor

    In this piece, LANRE AMINU highlights the qualities the next governor of Osun State should posses so that he can continue the people-oriented programmes of the Aregbesola administration.

    It is better for a city to be governed by a good man than by good laws”- Aristotle

    Edmund Burke also says: “A state without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation”. There is no gainsaying that the outgoing governor of Osun state, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola is bearing the travail of a reformer.

    At the risk of being label a sycophant, spin-doctor or worst still a paid image maker, I make bold to say the man, Aregbesola in the captain’s seat of the ship called Osun state would have match, if not surpass Chief Awolowo’s land mark achievements in the old Western region if he had not being hampered by the wasteful expensive presidential system of government we have being practicing and bad leadership in the state of Osun nay the centre.

    It bears repeating that he is bearing the scars of the woeful failures of most of his predecessors with the exception of the civilian administration of Bisi Akande. Governor Aregbesola deserves commendation for his laudable developmental giant strides in the state. He is a man who works quietly while positively impacting on the lives of his people. Before he came on board, many people in the state had looked on with gloom concerning the state of affairs in that land. Indeed, people were not happy at all with the administrations of most of his predecessors, especially, Oyinlola led PDP administration, whose twin legacies are profligacy and ineptitude. Aregbesola became popular in Osun mostly because of the incompetence, greed and cluelessness of some of his predecessors.

    However, all that has changed now. The people of the state are now proud to associate themselves with the affairs of the state. There is no gainsaying that Ogbeni Aregbesola has taken governance beyond the pedestrian mark of paying salaries and constructing roads.

    The records of his achievements in all sectors are on ground and verifiable. He has won many laurels for his trail-blazing feat in Osun nay Nigeria. He has redefined development in Osun state by investing in policies and prorammes which we and our children children’s will benefit from. Rauf Aregbesola is that “miser” very much hated by the vampires of Osun politics and the beneficiaries of the old other for his uncompromising refusal to throw the usual party, where money belonging to the state is shared out in Ghana- must- go bags. Rather, he “stubbornly” and against the usual practice, invested in education, healthcare, infrastructure, human resources, youth empowerment, thereby, preparing to bequeathing citizens and unborn citizens of the state, so much to live for today and so much to hope for tomorrow. If there is one major challenge that has faced Osun nay Nigeria in more than half a century of her existence as an independent nation, it is incompetent, clueless and corrupt leadership. Before the advent of the corrective regime of Aregbesola, the leadership deficit that assails us in Osun is so legendary that from all indications, the state has continued to lag behind in an emerging world other that emphasizes clear-headed and able leadership. Since the creation of the state in 1991, Osun has been struck by a string of incompetent and corrupt leaders who have being gradually running the state aground before Aregbesola came on a rescue mission.

    The first civilian administration in the state headed by late Isiaka Adeleke and Aregbesola’s immediate predecessor in office, Oyinlola led PDP administration are the worst culprits. It is on record that Adeleke and Oyinlola’s watch, humongous amount were voted for projects without execution. The level of rot and decadence and N18 billion suffocating loan Aregbesola met on ground constitute a cog in the wheel of redemption and progress of the state.

    In view of the above, it should be glaring to any discerning mind that Aregbesola is bearing the scars of the woeful failures of his predecessors in office and that of the profligate Jonathan led PDP government who robbed the states of its share of billions of naira of statutory allocation. The foregoing explains why most states, with the exception of Lagos and Ogun can no longer pay its workers salaries and pensions as at when due.

    With the above revelations, it is patently clear that the burden of inability to pay full salary to some categories of workers as at when due would have been minimal if Aregbesola’s predecessors had done the job they were elected to do during their era. There is no gainsaying that the mess of Oyinlola led PDP government better forgotten years cannot be cleared by four generation of successors. If Osun must stay on its current course of rebirth and renewal, if there is a need to sustain the momentum and build on the solid foundations of Aregbesola led APC government, then, we must not make the mistake of allowing our state to go to a wrong hand after Aregbesola’s purposeful administration. There is nothing harder to bear than the reverse of fortunes.

    I strongly believe we the people of Osun are not prepared to move backward. We have poised to be on the move until we get to the promised land. Osun people are too wise to succumb to the promises of a new beginning. It is common knowledge that Nigeria still remains a potentially great nation because of inept, clueless and corrupt leadership it has being inflicted with and lack of continuity of programmes.

    Developmental programmes are better sustained if allow to strive and endure over time. The antics of political hirelings, rudderless opposition, professional bootlickers, paid image makers, crumb grazers and unconscionable trumpet blowers must be forestalled by the electorate. The point must not be lost on us that 2018 represents our water shed year, a year will must take our destiny in our own hands, a year that will determine whether we will continue to make progress as a people or bear the reverse of fortunes, God forbid! This time around however, the brilliant and the highly politically sophisticated people of Osun must not, shall not allow ourselves to be hoodwinked as we were in 2003.

    The greatest mistake any one would be making at this point is to suggest that the state be give to just any one to manage come 2018. Yes, Osun may appear too weak and fragile now to attract quality minds, it should not be thrown to the dogs. Its journey back from Golgotha must be smooth, steady and assured. It will however, will be too stretchy for a short- distant runner and too cranky for the faint-hearted to drive.